Lead-refining apparatus.



No. 827,702 PATENIED AUG. 7, 1906. A. G. BETTS. LEAD REFINING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.31, 1902. I

ANSON G. BETTS, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

LEAD-REFINING APPARATUS...

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. '7, 1906.

Application filed October 31, 1902. Serial No. 129,548.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANsoN G. BETTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lead-Refining Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improve-H ments; and it consists of the novel construc. tion and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which forma part of this specification,similar characters referring to similar parts in the several figurestherein.

Figure 1 of the drawingsis a view in side elevation of an electrolytic vat, partly broken away, showing several of the electrodes. Fig. 2 is av'ertical cross-section of the same, taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. 1, the electrodes being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a similar vlew showing an electrode in section. Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the broken line 4 4 in Fig. 3 through the lug of the electrode and the support therefor. Figs. and 4 are drawn on a larger scale than the other figures. A My invention relates to electrolytic apparatus, and particularly to apparatus adapted for electrolytic refining of lead, as in pursu ing the method set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 679,824, granted to me August 6, 1901, to which patent reference may be had for a more complete understand ing of the presentinvention.

Certain objects of the present invention are to provide a means efiective under various circumstances for connecting the electrodes with the source of electric energy, to facilitate the manufacture of certain of the electrodes, and to properly support the electrodes in the electrolytic vat.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents an electrolytic vat which may be of any known form adapted to contain the electrolyte 2 and the cathodes 3 and anodes 4. These electrodes 3 and 4 may be supported in the vat in any known manner, preferably by providing them with oppositely-projecting lugs 5, adapted to rest upon the top edges of the vat or suitable supports erected there from, the lugs on the cathodes being adapted to overhang the bus-bar 6, extending along one side of the vat, and the lugs on the anodes being adapted to overhang the busbar 7, extending along the other side of the vat, said bus-bars being connected with the respective poles of a suitable source of electric energy (not shown) in any known manner.

The anodes comprise plates of unrefined cast-lead. The cathodes comprise, referably, thin plates of iron coated with ead, substantially as set forth in said Patent No. 679,824. The several electrodes are preferably provided with terminals of copper secured thereto as a' means for connecting said electrodes with the respective bus-bars. To facilitate the establishment and maintenance of such connection, I provide each of the several bus-bars, which are preferably formed of copper, with a relatively wide trough or channel 8, having formed in the bottom thereof a series of wells 9 of relatively small cross-sectional area containing a fluid metalf as mercury 10, adapted to receive the re.- spective copper terminals on the electrodes, which are preferably in the form of pins adapted to freely enter the respective wells and be immersed in the fluid metal contained therein. The copper terminal pins may be connected wlth t e electrodes in any known manner. I have shown a copper terminal pin 11, provided with a flattened shank 12, riveted to the overhanging portion of a lug 5 on the cathode in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

As a preferred means forproviding the anodes with copper terminals 1 provide the overhanging lug of the anode with a socket 17 and provide the-terminal pin 13 with a tapered end 14, which is driven into said socket. This manner of connecting the terminal pins with the anodes is simple and effective and permits the easy removal of the terminal pin from the anode when the body of the anode has been decomposed by electrolysis.

The terminal pins being immersed in the fluid metal, a perfect connection is insured at all times under various circumstances which would tend to render more or less ineffective other forms of connection. It will be read ily seen that slight inaccuracy in locating the terminal pins, as Well as slight disarrangement of the electrodes, will not impair the connection formed in the above-described manner. The end of the terminal pin being immersed in the mercury is protected from atmospheric action and soon becomes amalgamated, thereby insuring eflec'tive conductive action.

The anodes being plates of cast-lead have certain edge surfaces inclined relatively to the plane of the plate, due to the draft of the pattern usedin forming the mold in which the plates arecast. Thus the under surface 15 of the anode-lug-5 is inclined relatively to the planeof the plate, so that if said surface be permitted to rest upon ahori-zontal surface, as the upper edge of the vat, the anode will hang in an inclined instead of vertical position in the vat.

To insure the proper pendent position for the anode, i prefer to provide the vat with an upwardly-presented knife-edge support'16, adapted'to engage said inclined surface on the anode-lug at about the middle thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the anode issupported in a vertical lane within the vat.

By providing the us-bar with a trough, in the bottom of which the wells for the fluid metal are formed, provision. is made for the overflow of the'fiuid metal from the wells,

due to a too deep immersion therein of the terminal pins, the overflow of fluid'metal being thus retained and permitted to flow back into the wells when the pins are less deeply immersed therein. The relatively great width of the trough permits any of thefiuid metal forced out of the wells to s read with but little increase in depth, so t at a con;

siderable variation is permittedfin the depth to which the terminal pins are immersed in their respective wells without varying greatly the area of contact between the terminal pinand fluid metal, which would cause material variation in the resistance to the passage of the electric current.

By the use of the relatively wide trough with Wells of small crcssfl sectlonal area I can secure all the advantages of a receptacle for the fluid metal of the length and width of the trough and. de th of the wells with a minimum supply of uid metal.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination withan electrolytic vat; a bus-bar provided with arelatively wide troughshaped cavity and a plurality of wells of relatively small cross-sectional area 0 ening in A the bottom of said cavity; and flui metal in' said wells; of a plurality of electrodes supported within said vat; and connections'be- 5 5' tween said bus-bar and the respective electrodes having terminals immersed in the fluid metal in the respective wells, substantially as described. i

2. In an electrolytic apparatus, the com bination with an electrolytic vat; a bus-ba provided with a relatively Wide. troughshaped cavity and a plurality of wells "of relatively small cross-sectional areai o ening inthe bottom of said jcavit arid." metalin said wells; of a plura ity of electrodes. supported within said vat, and sever ally having a lug overhanging said bus-her; and terminals depending from-the overhanging lugs on said electrodes and immersed in the fluid metal in the respective Wells,substantially as described. I 3L An electrical connection comprising in combination a bus-bar provided with a relatively wide trough and a plurality of wells of relatively small cross-sectlonal area formed in the bottom ofthe trough; fluid metal in said "wells;- and a plurality 'of conductive members having terminals immersed in the fluid metal in the respective wel-ls,.substantially as described. l p f 4. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with a bus-bar provided with a relatively wide trough and a plurality of Wells of relatively, small cross-sectional area formed in the bottom of said trough and fluid metal in'said wells of a lurality of electrodes of unrefined cast dead severally provided with I sockets; means for ,s upporting sai'dselec trodes; and ter'mipa- 'pins. driven into there spective sockets and immersed inthe fluid metal in the respective wells, substantially as described.

. 5. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with an electrode comprising a plate 9 5 of cast metal having a lug formed with an under surface inclined to the plane of the plate; of anelectrolytic vat hav n an upwardlypresented, knife-edge adapterf'to receive said inclined surface of the lug of the electrode, '100 substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of October, 1902.

ANSON G. BETTS. 

